


Two Truths and a Lie

by Daiako (Achrya)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: But loves Ignis, Chocolate, Confessions, Demisexual Gladio, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Noctis hates Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 14:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9750221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Daiako
Summary: Valentine's Day has always been uncomfortable for Noctis but with Prompto trying to confess to Gladio, Gladio seemingly rejecting Prompto, and Noctis maybe sort of telling people he's dating Ignis (which is sadly untrue) this one is particularly awfulA short Valentine’s Day piece, featuring chocolate, fake relationships, and all the awkwardness Noct can handle.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to get this part out while it was still the 14th. AO3 didn't want to let that happen.

 

Prompto stirred the chocolate in the bowl as it melted, wearing a focused expression usually reserved for video games and new manga. It was a little weird seeing his friend like that, brows knitted together, hair damp from the water bubbling in the pot beneath the bowl, and tongue peeking from between his lips as he stirred, over something like Valentine’s Candy. He’d known that Prompto had a crush on Gladio and he was the one who’d encouraged Prompto to just go for it and tell the older man but he hadn’t expected his apartment to taken over and his kitchen turned into a warzone in the pursuit of candy making.

And maybe he hadn’t realized how seriously Prompto was taking all of this.

As if sensing his gaze on him the blond looked up and sighed. “Are you sure this isn’t a bad idea?”

It took Noct a second to pick up the thread of the conversation they hadn’t been having and, in that time, Prompto managed to go from looking unsure to looking like he wanted to throw himself on the floor and die.

“Prom-”

“It is a bad idea isn’t it! I can see it on your face!” The chocolate covered spoon went flying into the sink and Prompto vanished from sight. Noctis frowned, wondering if he’d actually gone ahead and decided the floor was the best place to be right now, but a moment later he reappeared holding a pastel green envelope with multi-colored heart stickers pressed onto it. “I can’t believe how dumb I’m being, I even-”

“Is that a confession letter?” Noctis interrupted, gaze stuck on the envelope. Prompto really was serious about this.

Prompto nodded miserably. “Yeah. I’ve been working on it for days. At first I thought I’d just make the candy so if he seemed weirded out I could just go ‘hey, relax, I make candy for all of my super hot friends, this isn’t-”

Noctis snorted. “Where’s my candy then?”

Prompto’s expression was pointedly blank. “Anyway. You said I should just go for it so I’m going for it and I have a lot of regrets right now and I can’t do this.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I mean it, you should tell him.” At least he’d thought he’d meant it when he’d said it a week ago while in his own ‘funk’ that had lead him to conclude, mentally, that at least one of them should tell their crush how they felt.

Prompto shook his head frantically. “He’s going to reject me. He probably doesn’t even like guys-”

That...might have been true but not the way Prompto meant it. It was more like Noctis wasn’t sure that Gladio liked anyone, ever, be they male, female, both, or neither. Gladio was just...Gladio. Noctis knew for a fact he’d been forced out on dates with a few nobles by his parents but nothing that had ever gone past a first date and never anyone Gladio felt worthy of speaking on later. But he’d told Prompto as much and Prompto had gone off on a tangent about Aces and Arrows that Noctis had followed all the way through and still didn’t understand.

He’d tried running what he remembered past Ignis but that had gone weird too, with Ignis looking flustered and mumbling about not poking into other people’s personal affairs and why was he so focused on Gladio anyway for a full ten minutes. And then, when they’d finally gotten past that, he’d gotten a very stilted ‘Gladio has a different approach to relationships and attraction than other people’. Which Noctis knew already.

Whatever it all was it hadn’t seemed to deter Prompto at the time.

“He’s completely out of my league-”

“Wait a second-”

“And I bet he gets tons of chocolates and letters and confessions and people climbing all over him-” Okay, that was absolutely true but Noctis, being the kind and considerate friend he was kept his mouth shut. “And this is just going to be another lame one from me, your idiot friend who Gladio only tolerates because he has to-”

“That’s not true.” Finally something he could argue against. “Gladio thinks you’re great. When he comes over and you aren’t here he asks about you.”

“Probably to make sure I’m going to pop up and ruin things.”

“He keeps telling me to invite you to train with me-”

“Because I’m useless!”

“He got you that fancy photo album and got you into that photo exhibit for Christmas.” Noctis added through clenched teeth, irritation starting to build. He knew getting annoyed wasn’t going to help because Prompto was just like this sometimes, totally unable to see what an awesome person and unable to comprehend that anyone would want to give him the time of day as if Noctis wasn’t literally doing so in that very moment. Prompto didn’t always see himself the way other people saw him and that was...a thing that Noctis didn’t get (he honestly didn’t get a lot of things when it came to people) but he knew enough to know that arguing never really helped.

Prompto just dug his heels in deeper the more Noctis pushed and on one notable occasion (and by one Noctis meant an easy dozen) there had been shouting and crying (on both ends) and days of radio silence between them. He knew it was better to just let it go.

But it was so hard to listen to Prompto talk badly about himself.

“...he was just being nice?” Prompto looked unsure. He started biting his lower lip and, much to Noct’s horror, the envelope in his hand was being crushed. He stood up, more of less vaulted over the couch, and leaned over the bar to pluck it from his hands. “Hey!”

“Don’t mess it up.” He mumbled as he started smoothing out the folds and wrinkles. “You want it to look nice right?”

“I. Yes?”

“Listen, I don’t know what Gladio is going to say. He might not accept.” And there was that terrified look again. “But! I know he isn’t going to be mean. You’ll still be friends. He’s a good guy.”

Prompto huffed. “I know that! I just…”

“I know.” And he did know and he was sympathetic. “But you won’t unless you say something. So. Do that. Soon, please, because all your pinning is exhausting. I think I need a nap.”

“You always need a nap.” Prompto rolled his eyes. Noctis climbed up onto one of the stools pushed up to the bar and shrugged. It was true, he did enjoy his sleep. “So. What about you, Prince Just Confess, you taking your own advice?”

Noctis continued smoothing out the envelope, any amusement he’d felt vanishing as his stomach dropped. It was a fair question and yet he found his earlier annoyance returning and bringing with it that small, petty part of him that wanted to scream about things not being fair. No matter what happened Prompto would, at the very least, have a chance. Noctis didn’t even have that.

“Noct?”

He looked up through his lashes to find Prompto staring at him with open concern. “Your chocolate is burning.”

Prompto blinked. “My cho-FUCK! ...we need to go back to the store.”

\----

The ride to school was that special kind of awkward that only happened when ‘one person here has no idea what’s going on but knows something it up’ mixes with ‘one person knows what’s up and just wants it to be over with’ crashes into ‘oh gods oh gods oh gods!’ and forms the perfect storm of long drawn out silence.

Which was to say Prompto was freaking out (and had been since they got into the car and realized that somehow Gladio had picked up enough chocolate and heart shaped baked goods to feed a small military company by 7:30am. Even Noct could see where that had to be intimidating for Prompto), Gladio was making it obvious he could tell Prompto was freaking out, and Noctis found himself wishing he hadn’t convinced his shield to give Prompto a ride to school because this was painful. He wanted to shove pencils into his eyes just to make it all stop and, technically, ‘It’ wasn’t even a thing. It was a lack of things. It was total and complete quiet while Prompto turned new and amazing shades of red and Gladio looked increasingly confused. And Noctis thought about throwing himself out of the moving vehicle and into traffic.

When they finally pulled up in front of the school Noctis nearly let out a sigh of relief. He grabbed his bag, figuring he’d just give Prompto a pep talk in school and encourage him to give it another go, since Ignis and Gladio were coming over for movies that night, when Prompto’s arm thrust forward into the front seat.

There was a purple cellophane bundle in his hand. He was clutching the top in a death grip so intense he was flattening out the white and purple heart covered ribbon he’d spent a good twenty minutes tying perfectly. The truffles he’d made and dipped then drizzled with white chocolate were in the bag. The envelope was fixed to the side with tape.  

“Here!” Prompto all but shouted into Noctis’ ear. He pulled away with a wince. Gladio turned in his seat, eyes darting from Prompto to the bag and back again before settling on Noct expectantly. Noctis stared back then slowly and deliberately looked at the bag then up at Gladio with his eyebrows raised.

The moment Gladio caught on and his expression went from amused to ‘Well Fuck Me’ was comical. In some other circumstances Noctis would have not just laughed but tried to take a picture because Gladio looking genuinely shocked, slack jawed and wide eyed, was nothing short of a gift that deserved to be shared with Ignis. (Noctis didn’t want to think about what it meant that even now he was thinking about Ignis, thank you very much.)

Then, licking his lips nervously, Gladio reached out and eased the bag from Prompto’s white knuckled grip. “There are for me. And this letter is…” He trailed off as he peeled the envelope from the bag. Noctis thought, for one horrifying moment, that he was going to open it right then and there. Instead he let out a breath and twisted around further to look at Prompto.

Who was white as a sheet and not so subtly edging towards the door.

“Prompto this is...I.” Gladio’s face did something complicated that Noctis couldn’t interpret. “Thank you but I think you-”

“It’s fine!” Prompto shouted, voice high and thready. “I understand you don’t feel the same, I didn’t think...I just wanted to. You can keep them.”

And then he was gone, diving out of the truck and hightailing it past the school gates like daemon’s were chasing him. Noctis was, frankly, a little impressed. Or would have been if he weren’t busy feeling like an asshole for pushing Prompto and trying to decide how he was going to kill Gladio. It must have shown on his face because the older man put up a hand as if to ward off an attack.

“Don’t look at me like that! I didn’t tell him to run off.” Gladio settled back in his seat, mouth twisting into a frown. “He didn’t give me a chance to say anything.”

Noctis glared harder. “Probably because it sounded like you were going to turn him down.”

Gladio shot him a dirty look. “I was going to say we should talk. Even you have to have noticed I don’t really date. I’ve got...a _Thing_.”

“...is this about how you have a different approach to relationships and attraction than other people?”

“You’ve been talking to Iggy about me.” Gladio said, eyes narrowing in accusation. Noctis shrugged; maybe he shouldn’t have quoted Ignis word for word but as long as it got the point across. “Do me a favor and talk to Prompto so he doesn’t decide to not show up tonight.”

Noctis let out a very put upon sigh and, ducking just out range when Gladio swiped out him, slide out of the truck. “I’ll let him know.”

\---

It was a long day. His desk was already covered in letters and gifts when he got there and by the time the day was over his bag was bulging from the sheer amount. He hated Valentine’s Day. Not only could he not say anything to the person he was interested in but he had to spend his day turning down perfectly nice girls (and a few guys) and feeling like as asshole for it.

And it wasn’t like he could say ‘Sorry, I’m in love with my future advisor/childhood friend/the literal best person I’ve ever met’ because...that was excessive, even if it was true. And not allowed. And...just...he never wished to not be who he was more than he did when he was with Ignis. The ‘crown’ weighed heaviest when Ignis was smiling or touching his shoulder as he corrected his homework or falling asleep next to him on the couch and teaching him a new recipe or…

When they were driving home, just the two of them, and Ignis was humming along to some song on the radio or...Noctis had it bad. It was gross how bad it was. And Valentine’s Day just highlighted that fact and made him want to tear his hear out.

When the end of the day rolled around and he managed to snag Prompto to drag him (protesting and flailing the whole way) to meet Ignis he was ready to just curl up in the back and call it a day. Which was why, when he spotted a girl he thought he maybe knew standing very close to Ignis’ car he felt his heart sink. He hated all of this and really didn’t want to have to turn someone else down again.

Especially not who here was pretty sure was a genuinely nice girl, pretty and petite but very quiet and kind of nervous if he was thinking of the right person. It was one thing to say no to girls who would seemed like they would bounce back quickly or just shrugged before heading back to their group of friends none the worse for wear but he hadn’t even spoken to this girl yet and she looked like she was going to burst into tears.

The way she was holding the heart shaped tin in her hands reminded him of Prompto with his bag of truffles that morning and god he hoped it wasn’t like that because Prompto had looked like he was one harsh wind away from sobbing hysterically all day. Which would have been a problem because Noct did not do well with crying people at all.

“Um. H-hi. Prince Noctis.” She said as she turned big, glossy brown eyes on him. “I made these for you.”

What had he done so wrong in life to deserve this?

She thrust the tin towards him. Normally he’d take it, thank her, and explain that he appreciated it but his duties kept him too busy for that sort of thing. It was a lie but it was that people accepted without question and it should have been easy but the words stuck in his throat. He stared at the tin numbly, stomach churning when he noticed her hands were shaking.

“I. I can’t accept this.” He muttered. He looked up and cringed as he caught her face crumpling. Prompto hissed out an urgent ‘dude’ but when Noctis looked at him frantically he only had a shrug to offer. “It’s not...Thank you. But I’m.”

Busy. A prince with responsibilities and limited time! Not trying to be an asshole, just kind of socially maladjusted! ...no, no, it was probably best he didn’t say that.

“I-”

“He’s seeing someone!” Prompto shouted. Noctis didn’t even bother to turn to look at him because he was too busy looking at Ignis who had chosen that moment to get out of the car and come around to meet them. And was now standing there looking very much like a person who’d just walked in on his parents making out.

Not that Noctis would know anything about that but he heard it was awful and Ignis looked like he was witnessing something awful.

“You are?” The shock in her voice echoed Noct’s own. “Who? ...I mean. You don’t have to tell me. I’m sorry."

But she was looking at Prompto speculatively and that was a problem. There were already rumors and Noctis didn’t mind them, he could have done much worse than Prompto (and not much better). But he knew not everyone was accepting of that sort of thing and while no one would dare bully the crown prince Prompto wouldn’t be so lucky. So no, that wasn’t going to work and he needed to nip that in the bud before A. she decided that was the case or B. Prompto volunteered himself.

“Him!” He pointed.

At Ignis.

Who went the most amazing shade of red. The girl frowned, looking skeptical and Noctis supposed he sort of understood. At first glance Ignis looked like a skinny nerd type with his glasses and perfectly pressed slacks and waistcoat and that haircut, but Noctis knew there was much more than that. Ignis was kind of nerdy, maybe, but he was strong (In a literal sense; they spared a few times a week and Ignis left him almost as bruised and battered as Gladio did but also in that he’d been propping Noctis up since they were children) and kind of built under his clothes and was bendy enough that Noct *dreamt* about it. Plus he was smart and kind and had never once let him down or put someone ahead of him and he did things for Noctis that no one else would think to do and he came over when he had nightmares and played stupid games with him until the sun came up just because they were new releases and Noctis needed a co-op partner and

Ignis was standing next to him all of a sudden. A hand caught his, long graceful fingers threading through his fingers, and Noctis’ brain crashed.


End file.
